Seeking Lily
by falafel90
Summary: James hasn't had much luck persuading Lily. For years he's tried to snag one measly date, and now he attempts to get her to take a position on the Gryffindor quidditch team. Can he somehow convince her of both? JP/LE.
1. Chapter 1

"We need a seeker," James Potter announced to his friends one September morning in the Great Hall. He sat down on the wooden bench, looking grim and anxious. He sighed dramatically, exaggerating the severity of the situation, and looked at his friends. Remus looked up from his bacon, though he was the only one. Sirius was still focused on shoving eggs in his mouth, while Peter was intent on buttering his toast. James glared and threw up his hands. "This is serious! It's our seventh and final year at Hogwarts! We've _got_ to win the cup this year!"

"I thought that you picked McKinnon at try outs! What happened to her?" asked Sirius, spitting egg. Remus, who sat beside him, looked disgusted, but Peter laughed from across the table. James crossed his arms, trying not to smile. He ran a hand through his hair, grabbing the ends erratically, and gave him a hard look.

"You know how McGonagall sent me an owl last night, telling me to come see her before breakfast in her office?" James asked, jiggling his leg nervously. Sirius nodded without looking at James, as he was busy piling more food onto his plate; Remus and Peter simultaneously nodded. Remus showed an interest in James's problem, furrowing his eyebrows in intrigue, while Peter merely gazed around the Great Hall with disinterest. "McKinnon's in St. Mungo's. She caught a case of the Dragonpox, and a nasty one at that, so she'll be out of school for a couple of months! It's so bad that Pomfrey couldn't keep her in the hospital wing! What am I going to do?"

Sirius gave James a sympathetic nod, but Remus sighed. "You do realize," he said kindly, "that you're worrying about something as minor as Quidditch while your fellow classmate is in the hospital dying of a terrible illness, don't you?" James had the decency to look guilty, but being James, he felt had to defend himself.

"McGonagall assured me she would be fine, though," he added. Sirius reached over and slapped him on the back of the head, and James quickly apologized. "I'm sorry. Really, I am," he said as Remus glanced at him with doubtful eyes. "It's just—Quidditch is my life. And without a seeker…we're doomed." Peter turned towards James and shook his head in agreement, but Sirius didn't seem to think so.

"What about that second year? What's his name? Reed? Thomas Reed? Didn't he perform well at try outs?" Sirius was grasping at straws in denial of the terrible fate that the Gryffindor team was in for.

"His name was Thompson Rider, Pads," James said, "but he sprained his ankle. He's not fit to fly anytime soon. And all the other potential seekers were rubbish. Really," he added when Remus, yet again, physically expressed his doubt. "There were a bunch of girls trying out for the position who were there merely to watch Padfoot throw off his shirt and glance at them. Then there was Frank, who was more a chaser than a seeker, but wanted a spot on the team. He nearly killed himself when he dove for the snitch, remember Pads? McKinnon and Rider were the only semi-good players. And now," James moaned, "we're _doomed_."

Peter patted James's back with sympathy, and said, "Well, the team will make up for whomever pick. I mean, the seeker could be total rubbish, but if the chasers and keeper are brilliant, the game will still go to Gryffindor. I mean," he said when his friends looked at him with befuddled expressions, "remember the World Cup a few years back? England's seeker was bloody awful, but the team won because the chasers scored nearly twenty times, and the keeper managed to completely shut out Spain." Peter looked proud of his knowledge as the other Marauders came to understand his point. "The team's pretty good, Prongs. I think you guys could manage to get by with a crap seeker." James smiled out of politeness, but disagreed.

"We're not that good. I mean, I think our chasers are strong, but our keeper isn't. Not really. I mean, Fenwick is decent, but he slips up a lot. The team already has to make up for his misgivings. We can't win the cup with a terrible seeker and only an okay keeper," James replied regretfully. "And I already put Fenwick on this year's squad, not to mention he's been keeper for a couple of year's now, so I'm not going to replace him. That'd be wrong."

Sirius and Remus agreed, but Peter didn't want them to cast off his idea so soon. "Still," he said, "maybe the chasers could make up for everything."

"A team's a team, Wormtail," said Sirius. "I mean, you can't really even throw one player to the side and expect to win, let alone two. Even James and I aren't that good," he said jokingly. James looked at the ceiling in the Great Hall and let out a frustrated groan. He wasn't sure who he was going to give the seeker position to, but he had to come up with someone soon, or else it was going to be Frank Longbottom, who'd be risking his life for a little gold ball and a chance at the cup, or a Sirius Black fan-girl, who might actually do more harm than good.

"Have a day or two to think on it, Prongs," Remus said, standing up and grabbing his bag. "I'm sure you'll think of someone. I mean, there must be someone in all of Gryffindor who'd make an average seeker, yeah?" James wasn't so sure. "We've got to get to Charms, anyway. We'd better get going, or Flitwick will have our heads. We've already been late once this week." James nodded, lifting his bag over his head and slinging it across his shoulders. Sirius and Peter followed suit, and the four of them made their way from breakfast to the Charms corridor.

"One thing should cheer you up, though, Prongs," Sirius said, suddenly smirking at his best mate. He grabbed James's shoulder and shook it, as he exclaimed, "You've got patrols with Evans tonight!" James grinned widely, and, for a moment, forgot about his Quidditch problems.

Ever since he made Head Boy, he was thrown together with Lily Evans for nearly everything. He was completely thrilled, of course; he had been infatuated with her since second year, when she wasn't afraid to stand up to him after he turned her hair blue. That day, as she shouted at him for dying her red locks a cerulean color, he couldn't help but notice how cute she looked when she scrunched up her pretty face in anger. Since then, his adoration had grown from a mere crush to what he considered love. She had never responded well to his advances, but he nonetheless continued to try.

This past year, however, after becoming partners in duty, she was forced to deal with him more so than ever. Though she still disliked him, she had at least begun to tolerate him. James was absolutely over the moon. The first she called him by his first name, he nearly kissed her right there; he remembered who he was dealing with, however, and restrained. She could have hexed him ten times over before he could apologize.

Patrols, to him, weren't a terrible part of being Head; in fact, the patrols were his favorite part. It was as if he had a date with Lily three times a week. She talked to him out of utter boredom and he couldn't be happier about it. He was trying his hardest to keep his pranks at a minimum, and slowly, he thought, maybe she would notice a change. A change for the better, a change he thought was necessary, not just to get Lily, but also to grow up and face the adult world awaiting him after school.

With a spring in his step, James walked cheerfully to Charms, talking of nothing but Lily Evans and his love for her ingenuity and her green eyes. He let his mind wander from Quidditch to tonight's patrols during their travels to class, and he forgot all about what he and his friends had talked about at breakfast.

The Marauders entered the classroom together, and grabbed seats in the back of the room. James sat next to Sirius, like always, and pulled out his textbook and some spare parchment. Though they surely weren't the first people in the room, there weren't many people who had arrived before them.

"Seems we're early," said Sirius, shock resounding in his voice. "That never happens!" James laughed while glancing at the people already in the room. He noticed that Lily wasn't there yet, which depressed him slightly. He thought he could remind her of their patrols in a friendly fashion, just to have a chance to talk to her.

"Looking for Lily, Prongs?" Remus said from behind him. James turned to see Remus grabbing a quill and ink from his bag. James nodded, but didn't say anything. "She'll come around. I think—"

James didn't get a chance to hear what Remus thought, however. Remus stopped his sentence short, surprised and confused at the sight he saw in front of him. James glanced at Peter, who looked just as befuddled as Remus. As he turned to see what the two were staring at, he noticed Sirius was pointing at something. Just as he was about to swivel his head around to see the sight that had his friends torn up, Peter grabbed his face and kissed his cheek.

"What was that?" James asked, quickly pulling his face away from Peter's grip. "You're my friend Peter, but that's all that we are—friends," James said, rubbing the place on his cheek where his friend had planted a wet smooch. He looked at Sirius and Remus, who were nervously staring at him now, and he was more confused than ever. He tried to turn around again, but Sirius stopped him and held him facing toward him.

"Wormtail doesn't fancy you, Prongs," Sirius said, holding both of James's shoulders. "He was just trying to distract you." Sirius let go of James's shoulders, and James turned his body toward the front of the classroom to see what was going on. "I'm sorry," Sirius said sympathetically.

Lily had walked into the classroom during the time that James was being mauled by Peter. She must've, anyway, since he saw her sitting down, talking to a lean, muscular—

"Benjy Fenwick?" James asked curiously. "He's a sixth year…what's he doing in the seventh year Charms class?" Benjy stood next to a seated Lily, talking adamantly and laughing loudly. He saw Lily throw her head back in mirth, but he couldn't hear they're quiet and intimate conversation. Slowly James was starting to catch on, but he didn't completely understand and none of his friends had truly wanted to explain. He watched as Benjy grabbed Lily's—his Lily's—hand and hold it to his lips. He watched as Benjy Fenwick—keeper on his Quidditch team—kiss it. He watched as that measly, foolish _boy_ snogged Lily in the semi-filled classroom for everyone to see. James understood. Lily Evans was dating Benjy Fenwick. _Benjy sodding Fenwick_.

"Prongs," Remus started, attempting to calm him down, but it was too late. James was seething with anger, with jealousy, with pain. He not only thought of his broken heart, but also of the mere fact that the Quidditch team he happened to be on with that bloody idiot didn't have a seeker. He wished that it happened to be the keeper's position that needed to be filled, rather than the blasted seeker's position. He momentarily thought of replacing Fenwick, but who could take his place? Nobody. And then he would have no seeker and no keeper. And no Lily Evans. His life was falling apart before his very eyes and there was nothing he could do.

"What is this damn world coming to?" James shrieked. A few people around him turned their heads in interest, but quickly turned back around when they saw that it was James who had been the one to yell. Having known James for over six years, his classmates knew that nine out of ten times that James screamed, it was for some stupid reason that they couldn't even fully grasp. Lily sat blissfully unaware of the situation, silently taking out all her materials for class while smiling widely to no one about nothing in particular.

James wondered if that was the twist of the knife in his heart. She didn't even notice he was alive in the back of the classroom, sitting in agony about what he had just seen her and Benjy _Fenwick_ do.

"I wonder if he's asked her to call him _Benjy_ yet," James fumed. Remus and Sirius looked at each other, wondering if their best friend had finally gone loopy. Quietly, the two motioned to each other, leaving an annoyed Peter out of their silent conversation. Finally, Remus spoke.

"Um," he said, unsure, "well, his name _is_ Benjy. I mean, what else would she call him?"

James couldn't really think. His mind was focused on images of Fenwick and Lily snogging in the astronomy tower, doing questionable acts, and marrying in the backyard of some Victorian house in the countryside. He shuttered.

"I just meant," James said after a moment or two, "that Benjy is a cute, cuddly name and, you know, that it would be sickening to hear…" James trailed off, knowing that he sounded stupid, but he couldn't help it. His mind was wonky for good reason, and thinking logically was an issue at the given time.

"You know, his parents actually named him Benjy," Sirius said. "His name isn't really Benjamin or anything. It's just _Benjy_. So, you know, it's not like she's be calling him that to be cute or—"

"I get it, Pads, I get it!" James burst out in anger. "I just—I don't know—"

Professor Flitwick walked into the classroom and James closed his mouth. He was steaming, but tried to cool down and prepare himself for the lesson that was about to start. If he remembered correctly, the lesson they were to begin was on the magic behind the Fidelius Charm.

"I'm sorry," Professor Flitwick said, rushing to get out his plans for the period. As parchment flew around the room in his hurry to begin class, he continued to speak. "I was talking with Professor McGonagall and our discussion carried on a bit longer than I expected. Today, we are beginning Fidelius Charms." He looked around the room, and everyone seemed to be sleepy and uninterested. He sighed. "Who can tell me what the Fidelius Charm does? Mr. Potter?"

"Lily and _Benjy Fenwick_ snogged before you got here!" James shouted the only thing that came to his mind as Professor Flitwick called on him to answer. Remus smacked his head and Sirius closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Peter laughed at James's ridiculous answer.

Lily, however, swung her head around to face him, her cheeks red with embarrassment—and probably anger, James thought—and she glared fiercely at him. Flitwick looked around the room, amused and slightly ignorant to what was actually happening.

"I don't—" James said, but he talked with such speed that he couldn't manage to get out what he wanted to say. "I mean to say—well, I want to say—I really didn't mean to say that aloud, it just—I'm sorry, I don't know how or why I did that." It was an honest accident. It was a slip of the tongue. But the damage was done and he wasn't sure if Lily would ever willingly talk to him again. Well, unless it was to yell at him about his uncalled for emotional outburst. He ran both of his hands through his hair nervously. And to think, he didn't even have a seeker to make him feel better. His life sucked.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey guys! Here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it. Read and review!

* * *

"She's going to kill me. Tonight on patrols. I can feel it," James moaned to Sirius. The two sat in the Gryffindor common room during their free period. Remus was off to Arithmancy, and Peter…he was probably in the kitchens. James sat in one of the big, comfy armchairs near the fire, while Sirius laid on one of the loveseats, stretched out as though he was an emperor in Ancient Rome. James ran his fingers through his hair, a nervous habit of his, and sighed. What could he do? He had already made an arse out of himself, as well as Lily, and he knew she was going to be furious. How could she not?

"She's not going to kill you. Don't be ridiculous," Sirius said lazily. He threw his arm over his head, and turned to face his friend. "She'll only hex you to the point of insanity; you'll be a permanent resident of St. Mungo's." Sirius kept a straight face for a fair amount of time, but after a few moments, he couldn't manage to surpass a grin any longer. He laughed airily. "You'll be fine, Prongs. Don't stress."

"I can't believe she's dating _Fenwick_. I never liked that bloke. Bloody awful keeper. Actually, he's the worst the team has seen in a while. I just couldn't find anyone better," James continued, as though Sirius had never said anything. "Ugh! And I still have to find a damn seeker!" James shouted in frustration. "I don't think we have anyone suitable in all of Gryffindor!" James pounded the arm of the chair and a few people looked at him.

"You know," Sirius said, glaring at his friend, "you could go out and look for a seeker instead of ranting about not having one." James gave him a nasty look, and Sirius merely said, "Just saying." He went back to staring at his cuticles. Though he genuinely cared about James's problems, he could only hear so much about one problem at a time. At this point, he had several that he couldn't stop ranting about; Sirius could only ignore his mate's redundant remarks to keep his own sanity.

"I wish you would listen to me," James said after noticing Sirius's apparent lack of attention. "I mean, do you realize how many issues I have here?" James flailed his arms in order to get his point across, but Sirius shot him a pointed look. "What?" James asked. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You've got issues mate, you really have, but I think most of them are mental issues," Sirius said, swirling his finger in a circular motion to the side of his head, implying that James was crazy. James shot Sirius a rude hand gesture, but Sirius shrugged. "Just saying, mate." He grinned toothily, and James snorted.

"You're insane," James mimicked in a falsetto, supposedly representative of Sirius's voice. "_Just saying_." His voice returned to normal as he scoffed, "As if adding 'just saying' makes the previous statement perfectly inoffensive because you're stating the cold, hard truth. It doesn't, Pads," James said. After a minute of quiet, James added in for good measure, "Just saying." Sirius guffawed, and James followed suit after a short time. Once the laughter died down, Sirius spoke again.

"In all seriousness, Prongs, I think that everything will work out. You'll find yourself a seeker, Lily will fall gracefully and willingly into your arms, and Benjy Fenwick will mistake a vial of Veritaserum for Felix Felicis and admit to everyone in the Great Hall that he is in love with Peter," Sirius said, sitting up and patting James on the shoulder. "I wouldn't worry too much." James looked at him with doubt, but thanked him for his words of hope.

"I can only wish, Pads. But I appreciate you saying that anyway." Sirius nodded, smiling, and laid back on the couch again. James leaned on the arm of the seat, and pondered his situation. He couldn't believe how rotten his day had already been—and he hadn't even eaten lunch yet. He pulled his glasses off and rubbed his eyes. Quidditch was beginning to be stressful—something he'd never thought could or would happen. And Lily—to see her with another man! A boy, really! A stupid kid who he gave the keeper position out of fairness and seniority! He wanted to curse his bad fortune.

"In your opinion, Padfoot," James started after some time, "who do you think I should get to replace Marlene McKinnon? I mean, who would be the best for the position?" James figured he would tackle the problem that was easiest to solve first; while it might take a lifetime to convince Lily that her boyfriend was a dingbat child, finding a seeker could only take so long because there was a certain number of people in Gryffindor.

"Honestly," Sirius admitted, turning to James, "I think you'd be better off exploring new options; maybe someone who didn't audition in try outs? Someone completely new. Not Frank, not a flirty fan girl…someone who you've never seen play before." James considered the idea. There were a ton of people he'd never seen play before, and maybe—just maybe—there was someone out there who was made to be a seeker. "You never know, Prongs," Sirius said, voicing what James was thinking, "you could find a diamond in the rough."

"You're right. I just need to be on the look out during the next couple of days for someone—anyone—who would be perfect for the position. There's got to be someone," James exclaimed, his mood brightening noticeably. He pulled the snitch he had nicked from the broom cupboard back in fifth year out from his back pocket and began to play with it. Sirius rolled his eyes, but grinned, glad to see James slowly returning to his normal self. HE could tell James was still thrown by Lily's relationship with his keeper, but he would survive. Maybe he would even finally get over Lily.

"Do you think we could somehow trick Fenwick into dumping Lily? Do you think he's that thick?" Maybe not.

"Why don't you work on finding a seeker first, mate. Then we can think about fooling Benjy, yeah?" Sirius answered. "But we're going to be late to Transfiguration if we don't get a move on. It's nearly ten thirty already." James nodded and they leapt to their feet, bolting to McGonagall's classroom.

During the rest of the day, James kept an eye out for potential seekers. He knew what he was looking for: a Gryffindor with a tiny, flexible body, but with strong arms and an eye for the small, golden ball they would have to chase. He kept his own stolen snitch out and flying next to him, hoping to catch the glance of a girl or boy with just those qualities, but he only managed withering stares from his fellow Head.

"Put that damn snitch away, or I'll take it away!" she screamed at him. He listened, putting the snitch away when she was in sight, but once she stomped away, he would whip it out again. He felt incredibly guilty for disobeying her, especially after the incident in Potions, but he needed a seeker desperately. The snitch would hopefully attract interested players, and would thereby solve one of his many problems…he needed to disregard her shouts for the sake of the Gryffindor team.

However, no one seemed remotely interested. Perhaps it was because people thought he was reverting back to his fifteen-year-old antics, which involved messing around with snitches, despite being a chaser himself; or maybe it was because he was having problems catching it with a book bag strapped to his chest and weighing him down. Surely he looked like an elephant prancing about. He wasn't as smooth as he could be, and therefore was attracting negative energy, if not a few laughs. He could understand that it was hard to take him seriously. Nevertheless, he was disappointed when, at dinner, he still had zero prospects.

"I'll tell you," James said to the other Marauders while slicing his pot pie, "it is more difficult to find a seeker than to get McGonagall to loosen that bun of hers." He ate a bit of the pie, chewed thoughtfully, and continued. "I might just have to put Frank in. It seems like the only option. He can have the position until McKinnon or Rider gets better." James frowned and leaned on the palm of his hand.

"I think," Peter said through mouthfuls of food, "that you look just a bit longer. The first game's not for weeks. You've got time." Taking a chunk out of a turkey leg, he shrugged.

Remus nodded, saying, "You might just a find an amazingly talented second year who knocks the socks right off of Frank—and the entire Slytherin team." Sirius burped, but shook his head in agreement.

James quickly finished his dinner. He shoved a treacle tart in a napkin, grabbed his bag, and waved a rueful hand at his friends.

"I've got to leave early," he said, responding to their confused faces. "I've got patrols tonight and I want to do something with my hair beforehand. It's a mess. I'll be alone with Lily and I want to look tip-top. Sorry guys." Sirius snorted and, in turn, choked on his corn. Remus laughed, as did Peter, but gave him a few words of advice.

"Don't make a fool of yourself Prongs," he called after him. "Merlin knows you've done enough of that today!" Without glancing back, James threw Remus a hand gesture he wouldn't dare do in front of his mother, and the Marauders left at the dinner table cackled.

James ran up to Gryffindor tower, anxious to patrol with Lily. Though he had patrolled with her before this year many times before already, he had never patrolled with her when she was quite obviously furious with him. He thought that if he looked presentable, maybe she would have less to be furious with. He didn't hope for much with his attempt to clean himself up, but it was worth a shot. He straightened his tie, threw on a freshly laundered vest, and brushed his hair. He looked good, if he did say so himself, but whether that would matter to Lily…it probably wouldn't. But James didn't see the harm in trying.

Rounds started at eight, and he was waiting on in the common room ten minutes before then. He sat anxiously, hoping the screaming wouldn't be too bad, or better yet, that there wouldn't be any. That would be the best solution, James thought, though he didn't expect it. He faced the girl's dormitories, watching for Lily to come down, and sure enough, at eight o'clock on the nose, she pranced down the magical steps.

Lily appeared tired, he noticed, and he couldn't help but believe it was his fault. James knew he put her through hell today, and he felt terrible about it. He had the decency to look ashamed, and Lily was aware. She rolled her eyes at the sad sight before her, but didn't shout. Instead, she waved her arm at him.

"Come on, you git. Let's go," she said, and James jumped up, ready to go. He was nervous, surely, but it seemed as though she wasn't _too_ upset. If all she was going to do was call him a git, he could handle patrols…and maybe even enjoy them.

Together, they exited the portrait hole, and began walking towards the dungeons. Three times a week they would have rounds, and, because they were Heads, they were stuck with the darkest part of the castle. It was never really a problem, unless there was a rowdy Slytherin, or a couple snogging in the Potions room. The trip down there was quiet one; Lily didn't say a word, and James was afraid to talk. It wasn't until they had already begun patrolling the dungeons that Lily spoke.

"Why did you embarrass me and Benjy today in Potions?" She didn't sound mad, only hurt and confused. James felt even worse than he did before. He was an arse—even if he didn't mean to blurt out the details of Lily and Benjy's relationship.

"I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to!" James said quickly. He ran a hand through his hair and stuck the other in his pocket. "I was just—shocked. I mean, Benjy, Lily? Really? He's a year younger than us! And you know how I feel about you." He was completely sincere, but he was worried that he offended her choice of boyfriend. He was surprised when she nodded and agreed.

"I understand where you're coming from, James, and I probably shouldn't have flaunted it in front of you. I mean, you've generally been good this year, and you didn't deserve me…er, snogging Benjy in front of you." She blushed and looked away, but continued. "I'm the one who should be sorry."

"No, it's my fault. If you really like him," he said, pained, "then you _should_ flaunt it. That's a part of being in love." It hurt him to say it, but he believed what he was saying. Lily smiled and nodded, concurring with his statement, and he sighed.

"Thanks for understanding," Lily said, giving him a punch on the shoulder. "I really do like him. He's great." Her eyes sparkled when she said his name, and James felt like complete crap. _He _wanted to be the one that made her light up like that. He looked down at his shoes, which blended in with the dark stone floor, and watched the floor as they walked slowly through the empty corridor.

"What do you see in him, Lily?" James asked as they walked near the Potions classroom. Lily glared at him, and he explained. "I don't mean to be mean, or sound jealous, or—or—or _anything _like that, but what does he have that I don't have?" James sounded truly hurt and sad, so Lily gave in and responded.

"It's not that he's _better_ than you, James. He's just different," she said, fiddling with the buttons on her robe. She turned to the side to look at him as they walked forward, and continued. "He's just sweet and nice, and he's a great keeper"—James could testify _against_ that, but he let it slide—"and he's really smart for his age. I mean, he's a Prefect, too, and he's really interested in becoming an Auror…"

James couldn't help but notice that nearly everything she said could also be applied to him. He didn't mean to sound arrogant, but it was the truth. It only made him more bitter that she was dating another version—a younger, less awesome version—of him. He sighed and unconsciously grabbed the snitch from his pocket and began to play with it in the air. It flew around his head, but before it got to far away from him, he caught it. The cycle would begin again as he released it and caught it again.

"What are you doing?" Lily shrieked as she noticed James beside her. He didn't even realize what he was doing, until Lily had pointed it out to him. He had been doing it so often during the day that the activity had become mindless. Startled, he failed to catch the snitch, and it started to travel down the hallway. Before James could run after it, however, Lily bolted towards the golden ball.

James watched in awe as she jumped up in the air mid-run and caught it. As her hands wrapped around the tiny, worn snitch, he knew he had found his seeker.


	3. Chapter 3

"Lily!" James shouted in awe. He threw his hands in the air, giggled like a little girl on Christmas, and ran over to where she caught the snitch. "Lily!" he shrieked again. He threw his arms around her and squeezed, hugging her tightly, as if she was his savior. Arms glued to her sides by James's embrace, Lily was unable to move. She rolled her eyes at his antics, and tried to wiggle out of his grip. When she couldn't, she sighed.

"Potter, get your hands off of me!" she said angrily. James pulled his arms back, but the grin on his face was priceless. He fidgeted with excitement, running a hand through his hair, and did an odd sort of jump, which Lily attributed to his strangeness. Again, she rolled her eyes, and said, "What? Why are you acting as though you've wet your pants?" James laughed awkwardly, peculiarly, and Lily was confused. One minute he was moping about Benjy, and the next…jumping for joy?

"_Lily_," James said, as though she should have known what was coming next, "you've _caught_ the snitch. The only one today! You're our seeker!" He looked at her with wide eyes, and she almost felt bad saying no.

"Are you out of your freaking mind, Potter?" Apparently she didn't feel _that_ bad. "No bloody way am I going to be your seeker." She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, as if asking James to challenge her final ruling. James's grin slowly faded, and he looked like a lost puppy again. He stood in the corridor in silence for a few moments, waiting for her to retract the refusal. She didn't.

"Why not?" he asked. James seemed utterly confused. "You're a Gryffindor! Do you want to let the house down?" His arms were flailing around in dismay; he looked like he was trying to direct traffic, rather than convince Lily of taking a position on the Quidditch team.

"I don't have time, James," Lily said, clearly exasperated that she had to further explain her decision. "And you know I hate Quidditch." She scratched her neck, and then whispered, "I can't fly. You remember first year." Oh, he remembered. He would never forget.

When the two of them had flying lessons in their first year at Hogwarts, Lily had been quite excited to learn to fly. As she adamantly told anyone who would listen, it was a common thing in muggle films for witches to fly on broomsticks; of course, it made her all the more anxious to fly. Of course, when she got on the broom, it flew manically, swerving and feinting, hitting nearly everything—and everyone—in sight. Sirius was knocked off his feet, Peter was bruised from being hit in the face by the handle, Remus had his hair brushed by the tail, and James…oh, he had it the worst. In attempting to land the rogue broomstick, she had crashed right into James. The handle…it hit James in a place that not only embarrassed James, but also Lily. He screamed, she profusely apologized, and in the end, he was rushed up to the hospital wing for Madame Pomfrey to take care of. James had since blocked that day from his memory. It was only now that she brought it up that he was forced to remember. He cringed.

"Well," he said, his voice a bit higher than usual, "we can work on the flying part." He cleaned his glasses, trying to distract himself from the painful, albeit funny, memory.

"No we can't," Lily said, forcefully, as James returned his glasses to his face. "Because I refuse to get back on a broom. And besides, like I said, I don't have time. I have tutoring, patrols, Head duties—"

"All the same stuff that I have, really," James said, tapping his foot. "Your excuses are no good here, Lily. You're going to be our new seeker. End of story." He was smiling, though she wasn't, and he thought for sure she would wind up giving in. It wasn't as easy as he expected, however.

"Oh, yeah? Make me." She walked away, seemingly furious, and James ran after her. She walked swiftly, and he was forced to jog next to her if he wanted to talk. He grabbed her arm gently, and looked into her eyes.

"Fenwick's on the team, you know. Of course you know," James said, bitterly. "You guys would share that if you were to join the team. It's not like you have classes together or anything, because you're both in separate years, and once Quidditch starts back up again fully, you guys won't have a lot of time together. This may just be the only way you get to spend time with each other." He seemed sincere, and Lily thought about what he was saying. She hated that he was right, but she still needed time to think this through, and maybe talk to Benjy about it.

"How long do I have to give you a response?" Lily asked James, slowing her brisk pace down to a mere stroll. He thought for a minute, knowing she didn't have long at all.

"I'm going to need to know by Transfiguration tomorrow," he said. "I know that doesn't give you much time, but if you say no, I'm going to have to find another seeker." He pulled at his hair, and sighed. "I really think you should take it though. I promise you I'll train you to fly myself." Of course, he made it sound as though it was more of a burden than it really was; if she knew he was excited to spend more time with her, alone, she wouldn't agree to it.

"If I accept," Lily said, sighing. "I'll have Benjy teach me. He already doesn't like that we have to patrol alone together." James clenched his fists, but he didn't let his anger show on his face. Who was Benjy to say they couldn't spend time together? Well, okay, if he was honest with himself, that's not exactly what she said…but it sure felt like it. He hated that bloody kid with a passion.

"If you accept, I want to train you. Or, at least, I want to be there. I want to make sure his flying techniques are up to my standards," James said, trying not to let his jealousy and rage show. He crossed his arms and looked at Lily, waiting for a response.

"How could his flying techniques _not _be up to your standards? Isn't he on _your_ team? Didn't you _pick_ him?" Lily asked, somewhat confused and somewhat irate.

"I just picked Fenwick because he was the best option—that was it. He's not that great of a flyer to tell you the truth," James said. He could tell he was coming off like an arrogant child, and he wished he could stop himself, but his words were coming out like vomit.

"Well," Lily said, looking at the high ceiling above them, "I _can't_ believe you. Your own teammate! Just because you're jealous—"

"He's never been an amazing flyer!" James shouted. "My jealousy—please—that has nothing to do with—you've clearly gone mental—I mean—" But James knew she was partially right, so he flushed red and stopped his arguing. Though Benjy _wasn't_ the greatest flyer, certainly he could teach Lily fly decently. Well, nevertheless, he was going to be there when Lily learned to fly. If she learned to fly, that is. After their little argument, he didn't know whether she'd be willing to take the position of seeker. "Just—just promise me you'll think about it. You're not only doing me a favor, but also the entire Gryffindor house."

Lily sighed, but nodded. "Yeah, yeah, Potter. Let's just finish patrols." James wasn't sure if that was a good sign, or a bad one, but at least their spat was over.

As James walked down the stairs the next morning, he could hear Lily and Benjy arguing in the common room. The Marauders all looked at each other, wondering what could cause the couple to go into such a tizzy. Sirius gave James a thumbs-up, but James merely rolled his eyes. If Lily was happy with _Benjy_, then he was just going to have to deal…or persuade her that she could be happier with him.

"So just because _James Potter_ asked you to join the Quidditch team, you're going to?" Benjy shouted as the entire common room stood looking at them. Lily looked around at all the people and blushed. She pointed her finger at him and jabbed his chest.

"It's not because James Potter asked me—it's because he brought up a good point!" She crossed her arms over her chest, and glared at her boyfriend. Her red hair was messy and frizzy from anger, and her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment; James thought she never looked sweeter.

"I don't care what point he made, Lily! He asked you and you're willing to do it—I knew you liked him!" Benjy said, throwing his arms in the air. James looked at him from a girl's perspective, and had to agree, he was a handsome kid. His blonde hair sat perfectly atop his tanned face, and his eyes were a bright blue. He good looks were ridiculously cliché, but—wait, did Fenwick just accuse Lily of liking him? James looked at Lily, who was already staring at him. She rolled her eyes in his direction, though she nodded towards Benjy, so James understood that she thought Benjy was being stupid. He sighed. So much for Lily _actually_ liking him.

"I _don't_ like James! Bloody hell! You want to know what he said to me last night, Benjy?" Lily asked. She was still glaring, though her face had softened somewhat. James could feel his friends' gazes on his back, and he knew they were wondering what he told them. He sighed and threw his face in his hands. Why did Lily have to bring this up?

"Yeah, I guess," Benjy said uncomfortably. "As long as it wasn't 'I love you.'" Lily rolled her eyes again (James was beginning to notice that she did that quite often when she was aggravated) and shook her head.

"He said that me joining the Quidditch team would allow us to spend time together," Lily said, looking at her feet. Benjy snorted.

"Of course he would say that! He wants to spend time with you!"

"'Us' meaning you and me, not James and me, you stupid fool!" She tugged on her hair in annoyance and threw herself on the couch. "Sometimes, Benjy, I really just can't handle you." She looked at him, though, and he seemed apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Lily. It's just that you and him spend so much time together, it makes me wonder." It was James's turn to snort, and he could hear Sirius chuckle in the background.

"Um, have you _heard_ how many times I've screamed that I hate him? Have you _seen_ the number of times I've kicked him? Hit him? Punched him? I don't think you have to worry," Lily said smiling. Her words nearly tore James's heart out, but he withstood the pain, knowing she clearly liked Benjy.

"Yeah," Benjy said, laughing. He leaned over to kiss her, and James jumped from the top of the stairs and screamed.

"No! What the hell is wrong with you?" Everyone stared at James, who felt like he must have three heads (or none, considering he didn't think before he acted), and he laughed awkwardly.

"What the hell is wrong with _you_?" Lily and Benjy said simultaneously. Lily slapped him on the back of his head, and the Marauders rushed to his rescue.

"So I guess that whole stair jumping thing happened? It wasn't just a fantasy in my head?" James asked, rubbing the back of his neck. He watched as the whole common room nodded their heads, informing him that, in fact, he had jumped off a staircase and shouted. Lily glared at him, but Benjy Fenwick's glare was, perhaps, worse. James knew he could take him if need be, but he really didn't want it to come to that point.

"We'll just be going now," Remus said, grabbing James's shoulder and pulling him toward the portrait hole. James looked behind him, at a retreating Lily, and shouted.

"So does this mean you're seeker?" Benjy looked ready to punch him, as did Lily, but she could only nod.

"Yeah, Potter, but it doesn't mean it's because of _you_." She was mad, he could tell, but not terribly so. James knew she would get over it shortly. Benjy, on the other hand…practices with him were going to be a nightmare.

"I have a SEEKER!" James shouted as he was dragged through the entranceway. He threw a fist in the air and shook it.


	4. Chapter 4

"So, you've got yourself a seeker, Prongs," Sirius said as they were eating breakfast that very same morning. As he buttered his toast, he continued. Whispering, he asked, "Can she really fly, though? Remember first year?" He put down his knife and took a moment to cringe and shake his head. "You almost died." He picked up his knife again and finished spreading butter on his bread.

James's eye twitched, but he denied Lily's terrible flying ability. "She's not awful." Remus gave him a doubtful glance, shoving a spoon of cereal in his mouth, and James sighed. "Well, I can train her. She was able to catch that snitch better than anyone else. I mean, she'll just have to learn to do that on a broomstick. It's not that hard." Peter, who was sitting next to him, shrugged his shoulders.

"It is _kind of_ hard, Prongs. I mean, that is why nobody else was able to do it, right?" he said, chewing on a chunk of apple. "Frank might've been a better choice." James rolled his eyes.

"You guys didn't see her catch that snitch! It was bloody amazing!" James said, defending Lily. "And I don't care what you say anyway. My team, my choice." He picked up a banana and started peeling it angrily. Remus, Sirius, and Peter looked at each other, wondering whether James's feelings for Lily were getting in the way of his judgment.

"Prongs," Remus said hesitantly. "You know that putting her on the team won't get her to come running to you." James looked up from his banana and growled.

"You don't think I know that already? I'm not a fool." James began smashing the freshly peeled banana into his plate, making a mess of his forgotten toast and uneaten eggs. Remus's eyes widened, and Sirius grabbed James's arm.

"Put the banana down, Prongs. Put it down." The yellow fruit fell from James's hand and onto floor. "Now do you want to explain that little fit of mania?" Peter chuckled nervously, and James stared at him. Worried that he would be the new banana, Peter immediately stopped, and James cleared his throat.

"I know she's not going to come running to me," James said. "She really made a brilliant catch. That's why I put her on the team. But I still can't help hoping that, after seeing me as a leader on the pitch, she'll dump Benjy and come running into my arms. I'm not expecting it, though." He swallowed, hoping to moisten his mouth, and continued. "It's just not fair. I mean, I guess it is, because Fenwick's a decent guy, but I've loved her forever, and she doesn't even care. It just hurts," James admitted. Peter patted him on the back, and James stared at him again. Peter quickly removed his hand from James's back. "I don't want your pity. I can handle myself. I'll be fine." James got up from the table and grabbed his bag from under the bench. He started walking away, but turned around for a moment. "And I think she'll be great. I have faith in her."

"Wait," Remus said as James walked out of the Great Hall. "Aren't we all going to Transfiguration?" Sirius and Peter nodded. The three of them jumped up and ran after James, who was already going up the stairs in the Main Entrance. As they caught up with him, Sirius hit him in the back of his head.

"I'm going to have brain damage before I'm thirty if you keep doing that," James said, rubbing the spot where Sirius's hand came in contact with his head.

"What's the deal? Why'd you walk out on us?" Sirius asked.

"You guys were being arses."

"We were just stating the truth," Peter said. James stared at him again. Peter gulped.

"Would you stop messing with Wormtail, Prongs?" Remus said, chuckling. "I think you're freaking him out." James began to laugh hysterically, and he apologized.

"It's just so much fun, Pete. You're an easy target," James said, patting Peter on the back. Peter smiled halfheartedly, somewhat offended, though he didn't say anything.

"So, anyway, we're sorry we 'stated the truth,' Prongs," said Sirius. He laughed, but Remus glared at him.

"I'm sorry, Prongs. We didn't mean to upset you. If you think she'll be a great seeker, so do we. Right, Pete?" Remus asked. Peter gave Remus an odd look, and Remus stepped on his foot, crushing his toes.

"Err, yeah," Peter said, blushing. He glanced down at his foot sorrowfully. "She'll be bloody brilliant. Spectacular, even." James sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Whatever, guys. Let's just get to Transfiguration before McGonagall rips our heads off." The foursome continued down to the classroom without speaking, though the tension between them was beginning to wear off. What started out as a stiff walk through the corridors, ended as a casual, albeit silent, meandering. With only seconds to spare, they entered the room, taking their normal seats at in the back. Just as James sat down, however, Lily caught his eye. She waved him over, beckoning him to sit with her. James was in shock.

"Me?" he asked in a whisper, merely for himself. She rolled her eyes, but continued to wave him over anyway. As McGonagall walked in the room, he slid into the seat next to her, leaving Peter in the very last row, alone and helpless. As McGonagall began to lecture about some sort of transformation boundaries, Lily passed James a note on a scrap of parchment. It was folded up, sloppy and angular, and he chuckled to himself, imagining Lily Evans folding her note into a cutesy, origami shape. Curious, he unfolded the paper, and read:

_So, I talked to Benjy after I agreed to be your seeker, and he says he'll get started on my flying training right away. I understand that you would like to be there to watch, but I'm pretty sure Benjy's uncomfortable with that. Is there any chance you'll let him train me alone, without your guidance?_

After reading the note, James was unsure how to respond. He didn't want Benjy training her, but he couldn't very well let her training be up to Benjy, a guy who can barely control his own broom. He was lucky to even be on the team, really! He scribbled below her note, and passed the parchment back to her. It read:

_If I trusted Benjy more with his flying skills, I would agree to his training you in a heartbeat. But as it is, I really think, at least for the first lesson, I should oversee his instruction. I won't be a burden, really. I just want to make sure everything's smooth with your training and his teaching. I know Benjy's in a mood with me, but I really feel it's necessary. You need proper lessons._

Lily sighed, but nodded at him. She wrote back:

_I'll see if I can talk to him. He feels like there's something going on between us behind his back, and I don't want him to get the wrong idea. I'm sorry you're being dragged into this._

James smiled as he read the note, and he prayed Lily couldn't see. He was pleased to hear that Fenwick thought him a threat. At least someone did. Behind his back, he knew he was mocked for his never-ending attempts to forge a relationship with Lily. He knew that people believed he and Lily would never get together. It saddened him, surely, but he never gave up hope. His spirits soared as he thought of Lily's boyfriend believing he was a threat. He turned toward Lily and smiled.

"Don't worry about it," he whispered. She smiled, and then—

"Mr. Potter, why are you speaking in my class?" Suddenly McGonagall was standing over him, glaring, and he cringed. Looking around the room for a way out, despite knowing there was none, he muttered inaudibly. "What was that, Mr. Potter?"

"I said, I was just talking about Quidditch," he mumbled. He had the sense to look ashamed, but McGonagall didn't seem too angry once she heard the topic.

"Have you found a seeker yet?" she asked, sounding interested. James's jaw dropped. She wasn't mad? This day was getting stranger and stranger. First, Lily wants him to sit next to her. Then, he finds out Lily's boyfriend views him as a threat. And now, McGonagall doesn't mind that he interrupted the class with talk of Quidditch? He couldn't believe it.

"Er, yeah," James answered, sounding surprised. "Actually, Lily here is going to be the seeker. That's why I was discussing Quidditch with her, actually." He glanced at Lily, who was blushing furiously, and James could only guess that it was because of what happened during her first year flying lessons.

"Really?" McGonagall asked, interested. "Congratulations, Ms. Evans." Lily whispered something, which James took to be a 'thanks' and McGonagall nodded. "However," she said—and James knew where this was going—"I would appreciate it if the two of you would not discuss the sport in my classroom." She tapped on the desk with her wand, and walked back to the front of the room. "As I was saying, the limits of transfiguration are quite unclear, and therefore experimentation has been…"

James slowly tuned out. Transfiguration may have been his favorite subject, but Quidditch was his favorite activity—outside of pursuing Lily Evans, that is. And now, with the two merging into one, he felt a certain delight in the situation—one that made his stomach flip and his mind congeal. Before he knew it, the class had ended and everyone was getting up out of their seats. He followed the Marauders out of the classroom, still completely beguiled by the thought of his two favorite things in the world meshing wonderfully.

Well, it would be even better if he actually were _with_ Lily Evans. But he didn't concentrate on that minute detail. Instead, he focused on her shiny red hair that hung in a mass of waves, giving her the look of being on fire. It was certainly representative of her personality; for all the years that she hexed him and cursed him, she certainly could be described as "fiery." Her hair was what did him in. It was the icing on an already perfect cake. As if her personality weren't enough for him…she was brilliant and witty and kind—it was all he would ever need. More than he could ask for. His thoughts were genuine, and though he was embarrassed to admit it, he was convinced he was in love with her. His friends might mock his obsessive behavior (yes, alright, he _shouldn't've_ stolen her hairbrush…or her favorite hair clip, for that matter), but it was only because they didn't fully understand how he felt about her. Until they found girls to love, they would never understand.

His love stupor lasted quite a while, but he snapped out of it before lunch. As he and his friends sat down at the wooden table that seated all of the Gryffindor students, he noticed Lily and Benjy walk into the Great Hall. He waved at her, though only to be friendly; he didn't expect it when she headed their way.

"Quick," James said, "act casual!" Sirius, who was piling food onto his plate, glanced at Remus, who shrugged. James ran a hand through his hair nervously, watching as Lily dragged her boyfriend over to where they were sitting. Lily took a seat next to James, while Benjy took a seat next to Sirius. Benjy looked absolutely annoyed, but Lily tried to look enthused.

"Hey guys," she said, grinning. Benjy muttered something along the same lines, and Lily's grin faded for a moment. She recovered, however, within seconds, and she turned to James. He felt her hand grasp his arm, and she said, "So Benjy agreed to let you oversee the training." James looked towards Benjy, and he nodded.

"But you have to stay away," he said, pointing a threatening finger in James's direction. "Sit in the stands or something." James felt a rush of rage, hating that he was being told how to run his own team.

"I think I'll make the call," James said coldly, "as to where I should position myself, thanks." Lily let go of James's arm, and looked between the two boys. She was clearly frustrated, but wasn't sure what to do about it.

"Look," she said, sighing heavily, "you two were friends before I started dating Benjy! What happened?"

"We were never friends," Benjy said, glaring at James. "Only teammates." Lily crossed her arms and clicked her tongue on the roof of her mouth. "And even then, James didn't like me. He only chose me out of obligation." James didn't argue; he had to admit, it was the truth.

"Well," Lily said with disdain, "I think the two of you are being foolish." She grabbed her book bag after eating nearly nothing. "I sincerely hope the two of you work things out before the flying session—or I think things are going to get ugly." James had the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that Lily was right.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: So I'm terribly sorry that I took SOOOOOOO long to update. School took over my life this semester, and any free time I had, I used it to sleep. And then Christmas came, and New Year's, and I was just so tired from school that I just relaxed. But now, with my New Year's Resolution being to keep up with my fan fiction (and my writing in general), I am really going to try to update more. Next on my list is _Waves of Fire_, and then _Finding Reason_. I can't promise the updates will be quick, but I will promise to try my best to get them up as quickly as I can.

* * *

"You'd better play nice today, Prongs," Sirius said, sitting on his bed. He watched as James prepared for the flying lesson with Lily. He didn't put on his full Quidditch gear, but instead wore jeans and a sweater. He figured since he wasn't even going to be playing…he shook his head.

"I know, Pads, I know," James said, sighing. He sat on his bed, broom in hand. "I'm just going to hover while they do their thing." Suddenly, though, James's face turned angry. "But I swear to Merlin, if he kisses her or tries to flaunt their relationship to make me mad—"

"Then it'll work?" Sirius asked jokingly. "Because you already seem upset and it hasn't even happened yet." James glared and Sirius smirked in response. "Honestly, Prongs, you have to remember: play it cool. If she sees you blow your casket and hex her beloved Benjy, she'll never speak to you again. Not in the friendly manner she has been, anyway."

"They'd better keep their hands to themselves, though!" James's fists were clenched, and Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I know you're in pain, Prongs, I do, but if you were in Benjy's position—"

"If I were in Benjy's position, the world would be right," James said, cutting Sirius off. "If I were in Benjy's position, life would be fair."

"All that might be well and good, but you wouldn't hesitate for a moment to kiss Lily in front of Benjy if you were together," Sirius pointed out. He glanced at James with a knowing expression, and James crossed his arms.

"That's a moot point, Pads," James said, a scowl of defeat on his face. Sirius scratched his head.

"A 'moot' point? What is 'moot?'" Sirius asked. "It's like you're turning into Moony. And really, we can only have one genius around here." James grabbed his pillow and threw it at Sirius's head.

"I'd better go," James said, standing and brushing imaginary lint off of his pants. "Duty calls." Broom in hand, he walked out of his dormitory and towards the Quidditch pitch.

While walking to the field, he thought about his choice to make Lily seeker. Was he playing favorites? Did he only give the position to Lily because he thought that she would drop Benjy and date him? He didn't think so; remembering her brilliant catch confirmed that. She honestly was the best option he had. Frank couldn't catch a snitch, Merlin no. Lily might not be the best flyer, but he could change that. Or Benjy could. Well, he highly doubted that Benjy could, but he'd see soon if that would be the case. Either way, no matter who ended up training her, she would be able to fly, he was confident. Sort of confident, anyway. Certain areas of his body begged to differ. James shuddered, but continued towards the pitch.

When he finally got there, James took a seat in the stands. Lily and Benjy had yet to get there, and he figured he'd wait for them to start flying. He took his snitch out of his pocket, and let it flutter around his head for a few seconds before he caught it. He did it again and again, just to pass the time. He was so enthralled with his little game that he didn't even notice Lily and Benjy's arrival.

"Get over yourself, Potter," Benjy said, scowling. His hands were crossed over his chest and looked rather aggressive. He was wearing his Quidditch gear—a maroon and gold robe with brown elbow and kneepads; it was clearly a few years old, as it was tight and slightly tattered.

"Benjy," Lily said in a low voice, barely above a whisper, "please." He rolled his eyes, and Lily followed suit, reacting to her boyfriend's annoyance. He noticed she was wearing her normal clothes since she didn't have a uniform yet…he should've gotten one for her from McGonagall, he thought. She took a deep breath and looked at James. "I guess Benjy and I will get started? Did you…" Lily motioned to the pitch with her hands, and James shook his head.

"I'll just watch from the stands," he said, "and jump out there if I think something needs to be done." He smiled, trying to seem unaffected and supportive, and Lily smiled back.

"Okay—"

"I think we'll be fine." Benjy cut Lily off, speaking sharply and rudely. His eyes became smaller in an attempt to threaten James. He grabbed Lily's hand, marking his territory, and Lily rolled her eyes yet again.

"Calm down," she said, looking at her feet. Her voice was low, and she sounded embarrassed. James looked away from the situation, and pretended to be interested in the lint on his shoulder. He heard Benjy scoff, but he figured that meant that Benjy caved and gave into his girlfriend. James turned back, and saw that the two weren't holding hands anymore, and Lily's arms were crossed over her chest.

"Um," James started, not knowing what to say. "Uh, why don't you guys head out onto the pitch, and I'll watch you and Benjy practice." Lily nodded, grabbing Benjy's hand and pulling him down the stairs and onto the field.

James watched as Lily jumped onto a school broom, and Benjy take his place on his own Nimbus. He nearly growled; Lily, a new flyer, should have been on the better broom, and Benjy should have lent her his. That's what he would have done. In fact…

"Lily!" he called through cupped hands. "Lily!" She looked at him, and he motioned for her to come to him. She flew over to him, shakily and clumsily.

"Yeah?" she asked, her face red with chill and her hair windswept. James almost forgot why he had called her over. He wanted so desperately to rub a hand over her cheek and run his fingers through her hair. But her cough—an awkward and unnecessary cough—brought him back to reality.

"I just wanted to tell you to take my broom for the day. You're a new flyer, and you should be using a better broom than a school broom." He grabbed his Cleansweep, and handed it to her. "I insist." He wanted to say something against Benjy, something referencing the fact that Benjy kept his broom for himself, rather than give it to his girlfriend, but he said nothing of the sort.

"Thanks, James," Lily said. She went to take it from him, but paused just before her hand was about to grasp the handle. "Are you sure? Because I really don't want to ruin it, or wreck it—I mean, with my luck and experience with brooms—"

"Lily," James said, putting a hand over her mouth. "Take it. If you ruin it, I'll be fine. It's not as if I've named him and accepted him into my family." Well, he _did_ name it—Winston, as a matter of fact—but it wasn't as if he'd considered him a brother, and it wasn't as if he'd tell Lily that.

"Okay, James," she said doubtfully. "If you're sure…"

"I'm sure." As Lily took the broom from him, her fingers brushed his, and then, their gazes met. James, in a daze, half smiled, and Lily gave him a forced smile in return. _Benjy. Benjy. Benjy_, she reminded herself.

"Thanks." Her eyes met with her trainers, and she turned on the heal of her foot to fly back to the field. James watched as she flew—badly, he thought, wincing—and saw her land in a rather rocky manner. He wondered if this was such a good idea, making Lily seeker. But he knew she could catch a snitch and he reminded himself of that. She just had to learn to fly, which really wasn't all that hard.

Of course, as he thought that, he watched her tumble off her broom after stopping much too short. He grabbed his forehead and wished Fenwick would just let him teach her.

An hour went by, and Lily wasn't improving much. She had learned how to stop and go smoothly, but she still could only just stay on the broom itself, and the actual flying part was dangerously erratic. James hadn't interrupted Benjy's teaching yet; he wasn't amazing at explaining, but he hadn't done anything wrong. Of course, he couldn't hear what he was saying to her, or what she was saying to him, but he thought it might be better that way.

And then it happened.

Lily, who was merely attempting to lap the field, fell off the broom after accidentally leaning too far to the right and losing her grip on the broom. Acting quickly, James pulled out his wand to slow her fall, carefully casting the spell and muttering the correct words. He grabbed the school broom that Lily had left there when exchanging it for his Cleansweep, and flew to catch her. Her scream pierced his entire body. His heart raced as the wind tried to push him back. What would he do without her?

He caught her. Just as she was about to hit the ground, just as she was about to break every bone in her body, just as her life was about to come to a crashing halt, he caught her and breathed deeply. The two of them tumbled to the ground as the awful school broom landed bumpily, harshly. They lay on the ground, breathing heavily and contemplating what had just happened.

James was in disbelief. He barely remembered his thoughts before or during his epic save, but he could be sure that he was terrified. But now that Lily was safe, lying beside him, catching her own breath, he wondered, where was Benjy during this?

James sat up and looked around. He searched the pitch, knowing that he had seen him standing near one of the goal posts just minutes before the accident. He could've sworn…

And he spotted him. Standing by the middle goalpost closest to him. Except instead of looking shocked by Lily's near-death experience, he had his head in a book. James saw red. He jumped up from his spot on the grass, and ran toward Benjy.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" James screamed at Benjy as he neared him. Benjy looked up from the book to see a very angry James.

"What—"

"Lily just fell off her broom!" James shouted. Benjy's eyes widened and he dropped the book he was holding.

"Where—"

"I slowed her down and caught her, she's fine, but why the hell weren't you paying more attention? She could have died!" James's hands were balled into fists by his sides, and it took all his might not to punch his face in. He heard the rustle of grass behind him and he turned around. He saw Lily getting up off of the grass, and he ran back towards her.

"Don't get up. I want to take you to the hospital wing. I want to make sure you're alright." Lily was sitting up and staring at James. He bent down and pushed her hair out of her face.

"I'm fine," she said, running her hands through the grass. "You caught me. I didn't hit the ground." He crossed his arms over his chest, and she sighed. "Well, except for that bit at the end, where we kind of somersaulted off the broom, but that was nothing." She waved her hand as if it actually _were_ nothing, and James snorted. Before he got a chance to speak, however, Lily said, "Thank you." She stared into his eyes and he knew she truly meant them.

"What _happened_?" Benjy stood a few yards away looking utterly confused. James shook his head in annoyance and Lily's eyes turned fierce.

"Maybe James _should_ give me my lessons from now on, Benjy," Lily said, spitting the words out as though they were venomous. She got up, despite what James had told her, and pushed past him to stand before Benjy.

"What was so important that you didn't notice me falling off a broom and screaming?" Lily said, clearly angry. Benjy backed up, looking ashamed, and then bent over to pick up the book.

"I was—well, I was looking up one of the rules that I was unsure about. I mean, not being a seeker myself, I was unsure if blagging was a foul for them, you know, so I looked it up in"—he pointed to the book he was holding—"_Quidditch Through the Ages_, and then I got caught up in the different types of fouls, and how there are a lot that are stupid and how some of them are only specific to specific players, and—I'm sorry. I really am." Benjy, for the first time, did look sorry, in James's opinion. He was always so brutish and mean, and it was weird for him to see a side of Fenwick that consisted of more than nasty comments and slights.

Lily, however, wasn't so impressed.

"You _idiot_. Even _I _know that blagging is a foul for all players. What, is this your first time reading _Quidditch Through the Ages_?" James nearly choked trying to hold back his laughter. When did Lily read _Quidditch Through the Ages_? "And another thing—you'd better not say a word when James starts training me, or we're _through_! I'm sick and tired of you beating on James! Yes, we all know that he was a jerk in years one through five—"

"Hey!"

"Shut it, I'm defending you," Lily said, turning towards James. Then, turning back to an embarrassed Benjy, "But he has changed. He's been so nice to me this year, and he's Head Boy, and—"

"How do you know it's not an act to—"

"_What did I say, Benjy_?" Steam seemed to billow from Lily's ears, and Benjy cowered. "Whatever the reason, he's nice, and I have no reason to hate him, and neither should you." Lily looked at him with raised eyebrows, daring him to question her. He didn't. "So James, I'm all yours." Lily smiled, and then realized what she said. Her grin quickly fell, and he corrected her mistake. "I mean, I'm yours to teach. Quidditch to, that is." Her mouth quickly shut, and she looked at Benjy in anger once more.

"I just…can't believe you." And with that, she walked towards the castle.

Benjy and James were left standing together on the pitch, neither moving, neither sure of what to do. James was pissed, as pissed as Lily, and maybe even more so, but he didn't want to lose his cool. However, when Benjy started to walk away…

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU, ARSEHOLE!" James shook his fist in the air. Benjy watched with a shocked expression, surprised by his sudden outburst. When James realized that he was being ridiculous, he added, while brushing his sleeves, "Well, I'm just going to go…fix things…get Lily to the hospital wing…something." And with that, he walked towards the castle.

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Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So here's the new chapter. I appreciate all those who reviewed. I love hearing what you guys think! Anyway, enjoy the next chapter! And review!

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"So explain to us again what happened, Prongs," Remus said, shaking his head. "I'm slightly puzzled. He was…"

"Reading _Quidditch Through the Ages_ instead of watching Lily circle the pitch," James replied. His arms were folded over his chest as he sat sulking on his bed. He had just told his fellow Marauders the incident that had happened only hours previously, and they were nearly as shocked as he was about the situation. "He said he wanted to check if blagging applied to all players on the field. He wasn't sure." James rolled his eyes.

"_Everyone_ knows that blagging applies to all players on the field!" Sirius screeched, pacing the room. "It's, like, the first rule of Quidditch!" Sirius then pointed to Remus. "I bet Moony even knew that!"

Remus looked offended from the far right corner of the room, where he sat on his bed. Books were stacked upon more books, and they sat all around him in piles. His bed was tidy and clean, the only one that was made in the room. "I follow Quidditch, thank you very much." He stuck his nose in the air and closed his eyes.

"Then what team won the World Cup last year? Huh?" Sirius asked with a smirk.

"Russia. 190 to 30," Remus answered without pause. Sirius's jaw nearly fell to the ground.

"Lucky guess," Sirius accused with a scowl, but Remus just shrugged.

"Fine, think what you want."

"Guys," James yelled, wide-eyed, flailing his arms around, "we were talking about the horror and pain I just experienced! Does anyone care?"

"I care," Peter said, raising his hand. He was on his own bed in the far left corner of the room. He sat amongst what looked like Honeydukes candy wrappers and Zonko's products. "Go on James, I want to hear all about how Lily reacted."

"_Thank_ you," James said. "At least I have one friend who _cares_ about me." He put the back of his hand on his head and sighed dramatically.

"Keep your knickers on, Prongs," Sirius said. "We're listening. We all want to know how Lily yelled at Fenwick and made your day by agreeing to take lessons with you instead of her boyfriend, who she has yet to break up with, despite his stupidity and utter brutishness." He ran a hand through his long, dark hair, while the others looked at him with surprised expressions.

"How did you know, Padfoot?" James asked in awe at his friend's abilities.

"It's a gift," Sirius said casually. When he noticed that everyone was still staring at him, he said, "It's not like Prongs's life is that hard to predict. It's rather simple, really. It's not like he's Mr. Spontaneity."

"It's true, actually" Remus said in agreement. "Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love. Girl falls off broom, boy makes epic save, and girl begins to see the good side of the boy, whom she previously hated."

"I don't see how that's cliché," James said with furrowed eyebrows. "But, that's not the point. The point is that Lily yelled at that wanker Fenwick, and I am now her instructor." Sirius winked at him.

"Teacher-student relationships, eh? We all know how those turn out!" James, Remus, and Peter stared at him. Sirius winked again, and Remus merely shot him an even more befuddled glance. Sirius winked yet again, and James let out a groan.

"Clearly we're not getting what you are oh-so-subtly trying to hint to us. How do student-teacher relationships turn out, Padfoot?" James asked. Sirius rolled his eyes, as if it was such a hardship to explain himself, and leaned on one of the posts on his bed frame.

"You know, teachers and students always—you know—hook up!" All three boys looked alarmed.

Remus said, "I think that's illegal!" just as James asked, through bursts of laughter, "Are you trying to tell us something about you and McGonagall?" Sirius glared at his friends. James was nearly dying of laughter, as was Peter, but Remus was stricken with horror.

"I mean—I was just saying—there's a reason that many a man's fantasy contains a girl in a school robes!" Sirius spluttered. When everyone continued to give him odd looks, he threw his hands up in the air and said, "I should just _silencio_ myself now, before I dig myself into a deeper hole." He walked over to his own bed, which was the messiest of the four, and plopped down on it. "I hate you guys sometimes."

"Well," Remus said, turning to James, "when is your next flying lesson with Lily?"

"Well, we haven't decided," he said, flushing. "I mean, it's only been a couple of hours since, you know, the save, and I didn't want to bombard her questions like, 'When do you want to get back on a broom?' and 'Do you think it's over between Fenwick and you?'" Sirius snorted. "It didn't seem appropriate."

"Since when have you cared about what was appropriate and what wasn't?" Remus asked, laughing. "I mean, certainly you didn't care about appropriateness when you told McGonagall that she would look better if she wore a more supportive bra."

"Or the time," Peter added, "that you used your invisibility cloak to walk into the girl's bathroom." James shuddered.

"Now that was a bad idea," James said. "It smelled _awful_ in there." When he regained his composure, James defended himself. "But I only told McGonagall that because she _asked_ me if she looked funny to me. And I said she didn't look funny, but _would_ look _better_ if she wore something that held her up a little better. You make me sound creepy." Sirius snorted again. "And I walked into the girl's bathroom because…well, maybe I _was _being a bit of a creeper in that instance. But it was first year, so it doesn't count!"

"Whatever the case may be, Prongs," Sirius said, "it's still a mystery why you decided to be tactful _today_."

"It's Lily," James said, rolling his eyes, as if it wasn't such a mystery at all. "I love her!" He put a hand over his heart.

"Right," Remus said, sighing. "I think it's time to go to dinner. Shall we?" Sirius and Peter nodded, and the four boys headed to the Great Hall. Though Peter fell in the trick stair, it was otherwise a rather uneventful walk.

When they got there, however, they noticed an angry Lily standing near an even angrier Benjy. His face was red with fury, and he seemed to be yelling. As the Marauders got closer, they could hear their conversation.

"That wasn't a ploy? Give me a break!" Benjy shouted. "You guys planned it!" He was banging his fist on the wooden table, sitting with one leg on each side of the bench, facing Lily. James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter stood about ten feet away from the fighting couple, unmoving. Though Peter was attempting to motion to his friends that they should sit, no one paid attention to him; instead, their eyes were focused on the scene unfolding in front of them.

"I planned to fall to my death?" Lily asked, yelling right back. "Merlin, are you really that thick? Why the _hell_ would I do that?" James wanted to punch Benjy's head in. Accusing Lily of falling off her broom on purpose…how absurd! How stupid!

"Because—then you could be rid of me and have lessons with Potter!" he spluttered, replying. "Don't tell me you don't fancy him!" Benjy pointed a finger at her and said, "I know you and him planned this together!" Then, in a girly voice, he mocked, "Just wait until little Benjy isn't looking. I'll fall off my broom when I give the signal and you'll swoop in to catch me." He made his wrist limp and pursed his lips.

"Please! You wish!" Lily yelled. "You're making up ridiculous and asinine excuses as to why _you _were the one who failed to catch me." Lily lowered her voice. Frustrated, she said, "And we've been _over_ this. I _don't_ like James. Not in that way, anyway. We're just friends! I like him as a friend!" Lily said, annoyed. "And even that is a little much! We're friendly. That's it! How many times do I have to say it before it permeates through your obnoxiously thick skull!"

"Are you calling me an ass?" Benjy said, crossing his arms over his chest. James laughed out loud, and Remus joined in. Out of the corner of his eye, James saw Sirius scratch his head in confusion.

"I called your excuses 'asinine,'" Lily said, her eyes becoming mere slits. "'Asinine' means 'idiotic.'" Lily paused, and then put her hand in his face. "And before you ask," she yelled, "I am not calling you an idiot!" Benjy rolled his eyes, but quickly composed himself. The two stood silent for a moment, unsure of what to say. The shouting match was over, and now all that was left to discuss was their relationship—an awkward and private conversation that would ultimately be discussed amongst the hundreds of students in the Great Hall.

"So what does this mean?" Benjy finally asked, breaking the silence. James was wondering the same thing.

"I don't know, Benjy," said Lily, her eyebrows raised. "What do you want it to mean?"

"I like you, Lily," Benjy said, and it sounded sincere—even James could attest to that. "I really do. But I don't know if I can handle this jealousy." James didn't know what to think. He wanted Benjy out of Lily's life, but he didn't want Lily to be torn up over it. He felt Sirius nudge him. He knew Sirius wanted to wink at him, to tell him that they were about to break up, but James couldn't even be sure that's what he wanted—not if it meant hurting Lily.

"So are you saying that you want to break up?" Lily asked. He felt Sirius nudge him. He knew Sirius wanted to wink at him, to tell him that they were about to break up, but James couldn't even be sure that's what he wanted—not if it meant hurting Lily.

"No!" Benjy said quickly. "No. But I don't know if I can keep my emotions under control. Every time I see James I just want to—agh—strangle him!" James couldn't blame him—he wanted to strangle Benjy most of the time. "Give me one more chance, though. Maybe I can get over it—I get it, you don't like him, you like me, and—and—"

"And maybe I can be more lenient. I'll understand your feelings when you get jealous, as long as you don't make foolish accusations about James and me." Benjy nodded in agreement, and then grabbed her hand, and pulled her down onto the seat next to him. James could only really see the back of her head now, but he saw Benjy's hand on her neck. It was quite clear that they were snogging, right there at the dinner table, and James felt sort of queasy. He winced when he watched them continue with their very public display of affection. He hated to say it, but maybe he _was_ rooting for the demise of their relationship…he didn't want to hurt Lily, but he couldn't watch what he was watching anymore. He couldn't handle it.

"Can we eat now?" Peter asked. Sirius slapped him on the back of the head.

"Have you no consideration for James's feelings?" he asked. "He watched Lily almost break up with her boyfriend. They were this close!" Sirius nearly pinched his index finger and thumb together to show Peter just how close they were to parting ways. "And they ended up together, perhaps even closer than they've ever been!"

"And I'm sure your spectacular little summary is making everything ten times better," Remus said sarcastically. He turned to James and said, "Are you okay? Do you want to go back to the dormitory?" Peter groaned, but Sirius stepped on his foot before James could notice.

"I'm…I'll be okay," James said, running a hand through his hair. "You guys eat, you must be starved. I'm going to go back up to the common room. If I'm hungry later, I'll just take a trip down to the kitchens." James put his hands in his pockets and shrugged his shoulders. Sirius and Remus nodded, and James sighed. "I just—I can't handle seeing them together." It was a whisper, pained, but soft; anyone who heard him could tell he was struggling with Lily and Benjy's relationship. He looked down at his shoes and said, "I'll see you later guys." Then, on his heel, he turned and left the Great Hall.

When he got back to the Gryffindor common room, he plopped onto one of the crimson loveseats. With his elbows on his knees, he held his face in his hands and breathed deeply. He knew he had to get over Lily and Benjy's relationship. At least…he'd have to get over seeing them snog in public. Wasn't that a part of being with someone? Kissing, holding hands, hugging…he couldn't blame the two of them because he knew if he were with Lily, he'd be doing just that. But to watch it…it was torture. He couldn't have stayed in the Great Hall another minute.

Just then, he heard the portrait hole creak open, and light footsteps. He ignored it—just a first year, he told himself—but suddenly—

"James?" It was Lily. His head whipped up from his hands and he turned to look at her. She walked over to the loveseat, and sat down next to him. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you…" He was confused. He could've sworn Lily didn't see him. She was too busy arguing with Benjy to notice him standing nearby.

"Remus told me," she explained, looking at her hands, which were folded in her lap. "Your friends sat down next to Benjy and me, and of course, I asked where you were. They didn't tell me anything at first," she said quickly, "but I could tell by their faces that you had witnessed everything. And then Remus told me you had come up here. Which is why I'm here." She paused, and then repeated, "I'm sorry. I really am." James said nothing. He looked the other way, wishing he weren't talking to Lily about the feelings he had that she couldn't return, wishing instead that she were saying the exact opposite.

"I just want you to know," Lily said, when James said nothing, "that I have nothing against you. All those years of arrogance and mockery—I've forgotten them completely." She made a swiping motion with her hand. "You've been a great Head this year. It's only October, but you've gone to all the meetings, and done all the work, and I can tell you've grown up," Lily said, looking at him. James turned towards her, taking a peek at her sincere face, and nodded. "But—but—I can't just suddenly fall in love you. I wish I could return your feelings, because I know how much you care, but I can't. Not now. I want to be friends. Just friends." James knew that Lily couldn't just love him right away—but he wished it so much. But friends…it was better than enemies, something James had been very familiar with in previous years.

"What about Benjy?" James asked. He had heard the argument, sure, but _actually_ being friends, not just 'friendly,' as Lily had implied, might have consequences for her relationship…

"What about him?" Lily replied with a small smile. She patted James on the shoulder. "He can't tell me who I can and cannot hang out with, or be friends with." James returned her smile. "So..." Lily said after a minute. "When can we get back in the saddle…or on the broom, so to speak?"

"Tomorrow?" James asked. "If that's good for you, it's good for me."

"It's good for me," Lily said. She stood up, stretched her arms, and exhaled loudly. "Do you want to go get dinner? I'll eat with you. I didn't really eat anything before, and you didn't, either…"

"Sure, let's go." Together, they walked out the portrait hole and back to the Great Hall.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey guys! Here's another chapter. I updated this story rather than the other two that I'm working on because I'm really enjoying writing this story, more so than the other two. Also, this chapter talks about when James first realized he was in love with Lily, and I'm going to put it as a one-shot, entitled **_Young Love_. **Check it out! It can obviously stand on it's own, but it's funnier, I think, when you've read this. It's short and sweet, but hopefully you'll like it. Anyway, thanks to those who reviewed. I _always_ appreciate it when people review; it makes my day! If you haven't reviewed, please do! I want to know what you guys think!!! Okay, my spiel is done. Enjoy the update!

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"I _love_ you," James said emphatically. He held his arms out, open, attempting to initiate a hug, but he then closed them around his own body. Releasing his arms and letting them dangle by his sides, he said, "I'm so happy we're finally together." Then he leaned forward and—

"Prongs, _what the hell are you doing_?" Sirius exclaimed as he, Peter, and Remus walked into the boys' dormitories. James was standing in front of the full length mirror that hung on the wall nearby his bed, and was an inch or two away from the mirror with puckered lips. Jumping from the intrusion, James scurried away from the mirror, and plopped down on his bed.

"How—how much did you see?" James said, chuckling awkwardly.

"Um," Remus said, tilting his head to the side, unsure of how to answer. "Well, we saw—"

"You were about to make out with yourself," Sirius said with one eyebrow raised. "And Merlin only knows what else you were going to do with yourself _while_ watching yourself." Peter and Remus cringed.

"I can explain," James said weakly. "I was practicing—"

"What you would do to your clone, if you were to ever meet him in a dark, abandoned alley?" Sirius said, snorting.

"No, you bastard," James said, laughing. "I was practicing what I was going to say to Lily today, when I see her, if she suddenly exclaims she broke up with Fenwick to be with me."

"I think meeting your clone in a dark alley is far more likely," Peter said, doubtful.

"And didn't she tell you last night that even though she sees you've changed, she can't just fall in love with you?" Remus asked. James glared at him, but could only shrug.

"Yes, yes, but certainly that's an achievement, right?" James said. "Surely, soon, without her even realizing, my charms will have wooed her and she'll be dumping Fenwick in no time!" James said with a smile. Peter rolled his eyes, though he smiled at James's happiness. Sirius laughed, but he was secretly glad that James was out of the funk he was in yesterday. Remus simply smiled.

"You've got to admire his optimism," Sirius said, throwing his thumb in the direction of James. "Especially since his so-called charms consist of self-indulgent arrogance and the ability to snog himself." Remus snorted.

"Ha bloody ha," James replied. "But she's warming up to me. You'll see. We're friends now. We even ate dinner together last night. I didn't tell you that," James smirked, but Sirius held up a finger.

"What did she have?" Sirius asked, giving James a knowing look.

"What does that matter?" James and Remus asked simultaneously. They both looked confused, and Sirius shook his head.

"What did she _eat_, Prongs?"

"A chicken leg, I think," James said, wracking his brain. "A chicken leg, a baked potato, and—and maybe some peas. Now will you please tell me what you are talking about?"

"Well," Sirius said, stroking his chin, "most girls eat like birds when they like someone. They eat salads, carrots, a single raisin…"

"Are you telling me that Lily can never like me because she is able to eat like a _person_ in front of me?" James asked, holding his arms out in disbelief. Remus laughed.

"Yeah, Padfoot," Remus said through chuckles. "You can't honestly say that Lily doesn't like James because of what she consumed for dinner. That's absurd."

"That's a woman," Sirius said with a twinkle in his eye. He stared at nothing specifically, pretending to be moved by the idea of women, and then sighed, coming back to reality. "But I never said she would _never_ like you, James, only that she didn't _fancy_ you last night. It was a meal between two friends."

"Well," James said, "I never said she fancied me! I just said we were friends! And that she would _eventually_ grow to fancy me. Which I bet her dinner last night says."

"Why would her dinner speak?" Peter asked. Sirius rolled his eyes at Peter and turned back to James.

"Sure. That's what a bloody chicken leg, mashed potatoes, and peas say about a woman and her relationship with the man she is eating it with. If you want to see how she feels about you compared to Fenwick, see what she eats in front of him tonight at dinner. Report back to me, and I'll tell you exactly what I think." Sirius smiled, crossed his arms over his chest, and nodded once.

"Whatever, Padfoot," James said, though thinking that he would do just that. "I've got to change. I'm meeting with Lily in a half-hour on the pitch. It's our first lesson alone together, and I want to look clean and crisp."

"Just to get all muddied up again, Prongs?" Remus asked. He raised both of his eyebrows and said, "Man, you've got it bad."

"I never said it was a schoolboy crush, Mooney, did I?" James said, sighing. "I've known it was love since second year!"

"I remember that day…" Sirius said, sighing. "You announced your undying love for Evans. I laughed at you."

"It's no different now," Remus said, chuckling. "James announces his undying love for Lily. We all laugh at him."

James glared, but eventually gave in and laughed along with them. Though he truly did feel that he was in love with Lily, he admitted to himself that his proclamations—especially those he made when he was twelve—were phrased in slightly ridiculous ways. What person announces that they're "passionately and painstakingly in love?" It wasn't the norm. Then again, neither was James.

After a few more laughs at James's expense, James threw on his Quidditch robes, grabbed the robes he had retrieved for Lily, and headed down to the common room with his broom in hand. He and Lily were to meet there first, and then go down to the pitch together. As he was walking down the stairs that lead to the boys' dormitory, Lily was skipping down the stairs that lead to the girls'. They're eyes met from across the room, and Lily quickly turned her head. They walked towards each other and met in the middle of the common room.

"Hey," James said, giving an awkward little wave that resembled a salute. He wanted to kick himself for doing it, for looking like such a loser, but Lily didn't seem to think anything of it.

"Hey, James," Lily said, folding her arms. She looked down at her shoes and then back up at James, displaying a small smile. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah," James said, feeling his pockets with his one free hand. When he noticed he forgot his snitch, he sighed. "I'm sorry," he said, "but I forgot the snitch up in my room." He motioned to the boys' dormitories. Putting his broom and Lily's extra robes down on an armchair in the room, he turned to Lily and said, "I'll be right back."

James ran up the stairs and into his dorm. He went straight for his trunk and started riffling through rubbish and school books, wishing he had cleaned it out over the summer like his mother wished him to.

"Back so soon, Prongs?" Sirius asked with a smirk.

"No, no, I just—my snitch, where is it?"

"I'm not completely—" Remus started, but he stopped suddenly when he saw Lily walk into the room a little nervously. She was blushing slightly, and was hesitant to move any farther from the door than a few feet. James, whose head was buried in the mess of his trunk, didn't notice her arrival. Peter attempted to notify James that he had a visitor, but his coughing was so subtle, that James barely noticed.

"Are you getting a cold, Pete?" James asked from the bottom of his trunk, flinging boxers and old dungbombs out. Lily laughed awkwardly. "Was that you, Wormtail? Your laugh sounded a bit high-pitched…am I the only one who's noticed that?" He peeked his head out of the trunk, and saw Lily standing by the door.

"Oh," James said, holding a pair of boxers in his hand that had little snitches on them. "Hi." When he noticed what he had in his hand, he blushed and threw them back in the trunk.

"When you said you were going upstairs to get the snitch," Lily said, walking a little further into the room, "I hadn't realized you were talking about one of the ones on your boxers." Sirius and Remus guffawed, and James glared at the two of them.

"I didn't realize you were coming up here, as well," James said, "or I wouldn't have left you down there."

"A few seconds after you disappeared, I realized I wanted to ask you if you had any extra pads," Lily said. When James looked at her like she had three heads, and Remus pulled at his collar, Lily realized what it sounded like she asked for. "Not _those_ pads. Merlin! I'm not _daft_—though apparently the four of you are," she said in jest. "I meant, you know, knee pads, elbow pads—Quidditch gear!" She rolled her eyes. "I just figured that it's best to be prepared. Even though I'm not actually playing, based on what happened last time…" She shuddered.

"I have my set that you can borrow," he said, relieved that what she had actually needed was nothing related to female problems. "I figured we'd get them from Hooch before you started practice with the whole team, but I can get them sooner. For today, though, you can just use mine." He turned his head to look at his trunk. "Well, I've got to find them first."

"And the snitch!" Peter chimed in.

"Pipe down, Wormtail," James said. "Haven't you got to take care of a cold or something?"

"Or something," Peter said, and Remus laughed.

James grumbled about having to dive back into his trunk, but was secretly ecstatic when Lily sat on his bed to wait for him while he looked. It only took him a few minutes to find the snitch, which was locked safely in a small case, and a few more to find his gear.

"Okay," James announced as he found the last elbow pad, "we can finally go!" Lily leapt from James's bed and walked to the doorway with James in tow. "See you later, guys."

"Bye!" Lily shouted when she was halfway out the door, sticking her hand back in the room to give a small wave.

After a long walk and a discussion about the rules and regulations of Quidditch—Lily _did_ read _Quidditch Through the Ages_, he was surprised to know—James and Lily arrived at the field. James gave Lily his broom, and took one for himself out of the broom closet.

"I honestly can't keep using your broom, James," Lily said, as James pushed his high-quality, highly-expensive broomstick on her. "I feel terrible." She sat on the ground, putting on James's gear.

"Don't," James said sincerely. "I _want_ you to use my broom. When you use a better broom, there's less danger." James snorted. "And if you nearly fell on my broom, imagine what you'd do on a school broom!" Lily shoved his legs playfully (as that was all she could reach), and grabbed the broom, though rather ruefully. She then rose from the ground and mounted the broom. James followed her lead.

Together, they rose in the air, and Lily immediately started lapping the pitch, while James sat on his broom in the center, watching her every move. Eventually, James was having Lily dive, twist, and roll, and though she lacked the confidence necessary to make them successful, her moves weren't half bad. She was doing better than he expected, and he was glowing with excitement.

"That was great, Lily!" he shouted as she flew towards him. "So much better than the last practice!" He clapped his hands and grinned. "I wonder why that is."

"Don't laugh—or get too big of a head," Lily said when she was only a few feet away. She slowed down and came to a stop when she was next to James. "I feel a lot safer with you there, knowing you can—and will—catch me if I fall. I mean, I hated that the fall happened," she said, looking down and pushing her hair behind her ear, "but now, flying with you, I don't think anything too tragic is going to happen." She paused for a moment, and said, "Well, during the game it'll be different—"

"I'll still keep a close watch on you, Lily," James said. He meant it. He would watch to make sure she was safe and sound and not getting hit by bludgers or falling off her broom.

Lily blushed. "Thanks," she said quietly. There was a moment of silence, and James cleared his throat.

"How about I let the snitch out and you can try to catch it?" James said, grabbing the golden ball from his pocket. She nodded, and he let go of the ball. They watched it fly off, giving it a head start. After a minute, James said, "I think you can go now. Try to see if you can spot it glimmering in the sun. That might help." She nodded again, and then took off. It took a while for her to find it, but when she spotted it, she dove—rather riskily, James might add—to capture it, and James cheered her on. Her catch was just as spectacular as her first, and James ran his fingers through his hair in shock. She wasn't so bad. Not bad at all, as a matter of fact. And it was only her second practice! Granted, she was no Wronski, but she would do just fine, James thought. The best he could've gotten by far.


End file.
